Author: Ruel Umali

Philippine Red Cross Lifeline Kits now available at Shopee

 

Shopee, the leading online shopping platform in the Philippines, partners with the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to promote National Disaster Resilience Month this July. The partnership encourages Filipinos to be equipped and self-reliant to be able to survive the first and most crucial 72 hours following a calamity, during which amenities such as electricity, water or telephone lines may not work, and rescue teams may not be able to reach the location immediately.

 

“Shopee is proud to work with the Philippine Red Cross as we promote the importance of resilience after a disaster.  We hope that by having the PRC Lifeline Kits available on Shopee, this helps Filipinos prepare for and survive in the aftermath of disasters or emergencies,” said Macy Castillo, Shopee’s Head of Commercial Business.

 

The PRC Lifeline Kits offered on Shopee feature essential items such as flashlights, whistles, thermal blankets, first aid kits and other supplies to help support anyone during the first 72 hours of an emergency. Various kits that can be carried while evacuating are available for everyone — children, adults, or even the entire family.

 

In the wake of a magnitude 6.5 quake that hit the Visayas earlier in the month, the PRC reminds residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces that they should prepare for the “Big One”, a magnitude 7 earthquake along the West Valley Fault, which is ripe for movement.

 

“We need to plan ahead for every disaster. By making preparations to ensure effective and efficient responses, we help build resilient communities ready to face any disaster. Efficient volunteers, together with strong logistics support and information technology, will allow us to build a more responsive and better Red Cross for the community,” said PRC Chairman and Senator Richard Gordon.

 

The PRC kits are available through the official Red Cross PH store on Shopee (https://shopee.ph/redcrossph) and comes with Free Shipping and Cash On Delivery (COD) nationwide. Filipinos across the country can now better prepare to face potential disasters.

 

“It’s best to be prepared and have an emergency kit at home, the office, and other places we frequent. Shopee is committed to helping the PRC promote swift response and resilience in the face of adversity. This will not only come in handy, but also save lives,” Castillo adds.

 

Shopee is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play. To learn more about the PRC Lifeline Kits, visit the Shopee Red Cross PH store at https://shopee.ph/redcrossph.

 

About Shopee

 

Shopee is the leading eCommerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan. It is a platform tailored for the region, providing customers with an easy, secure and fast online shopping experience through strong payment and logistical support.

 

Shopee aims to continually enhance its platform and become the region’s eCommerce destination of choice. Shopee has a wide selection of product categories ranging from consumer electronics to home & living, health & beauty, baby & toys, fashion and fitness equipment. Launched in November 2015, Shopee provides over 3 million brands and sellers with direct access to more than 40 million users across the region in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

 

Shopee is strongly supported by Sea (formerly known as Garena), Southeast Asia’s largest internet platform provider. For more information, please visit www.shopee.sg

 

 

Program aims to help 10,000 Filipino students achieve their dreams through better vision

Healthy eyesight is essential to learning and achieving success. It allows us to pick up skills and also enables us to achieve our tasks. Unfortunately, at least ten in every 100 Filipino students suffer from poor eyesight. This concern has led Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) to team up with leading actor and brand ambassador Piolo Pascual to launch Eye Can Succeed, a program geared at providing free eye check-ups and free prescription eyeglasses to help 10,000 senior high school students pursue higher education and achieve success.

` EVF kicked off the advocacy campaign at Rizal High School, which has been recognized by the Guinness World Records as the largest secondary school in the world, by having licensed eye health professionals discuss the importance of healthy vision, proper eye care, and optometry as a career option for Grades 11 and 12 students in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) academic strand. With the assistance of volunteer optometrists, EVF examined the school’s 4,000-strong Grades 11 and 12 students and distributed free prescription glasses to students who are in need.

The campaign is focused on senior high school students who are vulnerable to vision problems due to long hours of reading and exposure to blue light from digital devices like laptops and computers. They are also at a critical stage in their lives, where the pressure of choosing a career path looms before them. EVF aims to ease some of their concerns by giving them free eye examinations and eyeglasses when needed, so they can have clear vision which is critical to pursuing their studies and achieving their dreams.

“Poor eyesight is a rampant issue among young Filipinos simply because very few are aware on the importance of having a regular eye check-up,” noted Essilor Philippines marketing manager Jinky Navo. “Through Eye Can Succeed, which we have initiated with our brand ambassador Piolo Pascual, we aim to highlight the importance of good vision in achieving one’s dreams and success.”

As Essilor’s brand ambassador, Piolo is a strong advocate of healthy eyesight for Filipinos. He believes that the campaign will not only help students succeed in the near future, it will also help them perform well in their daily tasks and see life clearly. He said, “Education plays a huge role in the future of these young Filipinos, and poor eyesight will only hinder their progress in learning. By giving them thorough eye check-ups and access to free prescription eyeglasses, they will no longer struggle with vision problems in their lessons, allowing their natural intelligence to shine through.”

This perspective is shared by Lauren Wyper, Essilor Vision Foundation (EVF) associate director of communications. She said, “It is alarming to learn that many of our target public school students have never had their eyes checked up at all. Launching the Eye Can Succeed campaign here in the Philippines not only helps fulfill the foundation’s mission of enabling Filipinos to have better lives through better sight, but also enables us to spread awareness on the importance of proper eye care through an expanded network consisting of academic institutions, the media, and local campaign ambassador Piolo Pascual.”

Virginia Membrebe, Rizal High School principal, remarked, “We are very grateful and honored for being the first to benefit from EVF’S Eye Can Succeed school tour. Through the free eye check-ups and prescription glasses of the campaign, our students are given a great opportunity to have better vision which is vital for their education.”

The Essilor Vision Foundation is committed to eliminating poor vision and its lifelong consequences, and to providing underprivileged people the opportunity to live a better life through better sight. For more information about EVF and the Eye Can Succeed advocacy campaign, please visit Essilor’s website at www.essilor.com.ph, and follow @EssilorPH on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.